


Freedom

by BradyGirl_12



Category: DCU, Wonder Woman (1976)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Gen Work, Homefront - Freeform, Slice of Life, Washington D.C., World War II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-26
Updated: 2015-04-26
Packaged: 2018-03-25 21:20:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3825472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BradyGirl_12/pseuds/BradyGirl_12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Diana appreciates her position in American society.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Freedom

**Author's Note:**

> Continuity: _Wonder Woman_ TV Show  
>  Genres: Fluff, Slice-Of-Life  
> Original LJ Date Of Completion: April 17, 2015  
> Original LJ Date Of Posting: April 26, 2015  
> Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘em, DC and Warner Brothers do, more’s the pity.  
> Original LJ Word Count: 1437  
> Feedback welcome and appreciated.

_“American girls are so bloody… **healthy!”**_

  


**Sir Edward Mallow**  
**British Social Commentator**  
**1942 C.E.**

Diana pounded on the keys of the Remington typewriter. She was quite proficient with this machine now. She finished the report and pulled it out of the typewriter with a flourish.

“All finished?” Etta asked as she entered Diana’s office with coffee mug in hand.

“Yes,” Diana said with satisfaction.

“I’m sorry I had to cancel our lunch date.”

“Don’t worry about it. Accompanying General Blankenship to the White House for a meeting with the President is far more important than lunch with me.”

Etta lifted her chin with pride. “I better do some touch-up in the ladies’ room. It wouldn’t do to go to the White House all frumpy.”

“No, I would say not.” Diana put the last report on top of the pile on her desk. “I’ll put these on Steve’s desk. When he comes back from Detroit tomorrow he can read them.”

“Then we file them in triplicate.”

“Yes.” Diana gave a quirky smile. “It is amazing how much paperwork your…our society generates.”

“Isn’t it a pip? The Government would cease to exist without trees.”

Diana chuckled as she gathered up the papers and followed Etta out of the office. Etta finished her coffee and headed for the ladies’ room with her purse.

Diana entered Steve’s office, admiring how neat his desk was with its handsome desk set and stack of papers. Diana added her own papers to the stack. She ran her hand lovingly over the desk set.

_Can’t wait to see you tomorrow, Steve._

She adjusted the picture of the seashore behind his desk. She had always admired it. It reminded her of home despite it being of the Maine coast with its rocky beach and turbulent water.

She returned to her office, picking up her handbag and leaving the building. She walked leisurely along the busy street, heading for the _Capitol Café._

The small restaurant was bustling with the lunchtime crowd. Diana passed among the tables and sat on a stool at the counter.

A blond woman in a blue-and-white uniform and frilly cap saw her and hurried over with a smile. “Hi, Diana!”

“Hi, Maggie. Could I have a ham on wheat with a side order of pickles and chips? Oh, and a Coke, too, please.”

“One ham sandwich coming up.” Maggie hastily scribbled Diana’s order and tore the sheet off her pad, sticking it on a small carousel on the counter between the kitchen and restaurant.

Diana sipped the glass of water that Maggie provided. The clinking of silverware and chatter of conversation filled the small restaurant. She was happy to experience this slice of Americana.

Many of the customers were in uniform from the War Department but there were many civilians as well, working in the capitol’s many agencies. She observed the behavior of lovestruck couples, women out from their office as a group, and male friends. People who were alone sat at the counter, and some struck up conversations. The ‘regulars’ knew each other, and Diana listened to the snatches of conversation.

“Didja hear about Chick Watkins? Nearly fell off a platform at the Ford factory while working on a bomber! His brother done told me.”

“Mabel said that her son wrote that he’s doing fine at Fort Dix.”

“I heard that Eleanor was in a movie theater and sat with the Negroes! Honestly!”

“I met a Marine at the festival and gave him my number. He’s got a furlough next weekend.”

Diana enjoyed what Etta called ‘color’. Soaking up the sights and sounds of American culture, she was delighted with the newness. She had been in America for several months now, but there was still so much to learn.

Maggie smiled as she delivered Diana’s order. _“Bon appetit!”_

Diana laughed. “Thank you.” She bit into her sandwich and was pleased. A ham sandwich was a simple thing, but Etta had assured her that not every establishment served good food.

One of the waitresses turned on the radio behind the counter and Benny Goodman music served as background for the busy café. She was getting quite good at identifying the numerous bands and singers.

 _Back home I know all the singers,_ she thought wryly.

As she sipped her Coke, she thought of her progress with pride. Man’s World was always confusing at first. Her mother’s Magic Mirror could allow Amazons to study the outside world, but Queen Hippolyta only allowed it for special projects. She deemed too much knowledge of the outside world to contaminate the harmony they enjoyed on Paradise Island.

Diana finished her sandwich and took her time drinking her Coke white munching on the rest of her pickles and chips. She was enjoying this ‘ordinary' life. On Paradise Island, she was always the Princess. Here, she was just an ordinary woman when she wasn’t Wonder Woman. She worked at the War Department, doing important work like hundreds of other women, and was free to simply go out and have lunch at a modest café if she so chose. The freedom of it pleased her greatly.

She ate the last of her pickle as she ruminated on the irony of feeling freer in a culture that restricted her simply for being female. On Paradise Island, her gender was celebrated, not disparaged, yet she felt less constricted here in some ways.

_Well, I suppose that’s the lot of royalty._

Maggie was running around but still getting customers served in a reasonable time. Diana admired her friend. It was not easy for a woman to own a successful business in Man’s World, but Maggie Robbins was doing it. She also had no intention of giving up the business once she married her fiancé Hank.

Diana finished her lunch and paid the check, leaving a generous tip. She waved goodbye to Maggie and left the café.

It was still busy out on the street as people hurried to and from lunch. Diana walked over to Presidents’ Park and ventured into Lafayette Square located within the park and sat on a bench. She could see the White House from here.

The home of the American President was classically simple and elegant. It was impressive, but its grandeur was more approachable, unlike the grand palaces of Europe and Asia. An American could tour the house at appointed times, (though suspended in wartime), and even stand outside the black iron fence and gaze upon the grounds and house, feeling a sense of proud ownership. 

_Americans are the most informal people I’ve ever met._

She liked the Greek-style architecture of the buildings and monuments in Washington. The White House had a classical look with its clean lines and columns.

_Makes me feel at home._

Diana crossed her legs and settled comfortably on the bench, eating a bag of chestnuts she had bought from a cheerful street vendor. She had met the President as Wonder Woman and Diana Prince, both times in the company of Steve Trevor.

Diana had immediately felt Franklin Roosevelt’s charm. This man was a born leader, and she had known her share of charismatic leaders in her long life. He understood the ancient tenets of leadership and combined it with an instinctive understanding of modern communications, such as his fireside chats on the radio.

_Mother would find the First Lady a remarkable woman._

Eleanor Roosevelt was a tireless advocate for women, blacks, and the poor, all causes of which Diana approved. She listened to the sound of the water splashing in the fountain on the White House lawn. It was peaceful here, not unlike her home. America was very lucky to be far away from the fighting, though many of their loved ones were in harm’s way. 

_America is so different from the rest of the world. And considering the terrible record of Man’s World towards women, this country is a beacon of hope for women. Despite the society’s dreadful sexism, I’m still able to do many things as Diana Prince: vote, drive a car, hold a responsible job, and serve in the military, though in a non-combat role._

It amused her that she came from a Warrior culture and yet as Yeoman Prince was denied the opportunity to fight.

_At least men like Steve appreciate Wonder Woman’s fighting skills._

Diana finished her chestnuts and threw the bag into a trashcan. She adjusted her cap and started walking back toward the War Department. She had work to keep her busy until quitting time, and, best of all, Steve would be back tomorrow. She smiled as she left Presidents’ Park and returned to her important job.


End file.
